Age 54, passed away at Borgess Medical Center on May 19, 2024. He was born in Columbia, MO, the son of Kenneth C. Vail Sr. and Sandra Jean (Downs) Vail. Ken was a kind man who had a passion for music, friendship, and family. His warm smile and gentle personality made him a joy to know. Ken was a graduate of Parchment High School Class of 1988 where he participated in band and was a member of the Choraliers. He enjoyed bowling and played many games at Eastland Bowl where he won several awards. Ken was a hard worker and was employed at The Bop Stop music store, Sav-A-Lot grocery store, delivered newspapers and Aunt Millie’s Bakery. His true passion was for music. He was happiest when attending a concert, a record show, or listening to a new track with friends. He was active on social media, stayed up on current affairs and was a loyal customer of the Michigan News Agency store in downtown Kalamazoo. He enjoyed baseball and was a loyal Detroit Tigers fan. Above all Ken loved his family. He was a loving son, dedicated brother and uncle who will be missed. Ken is survived by his parents, Ken Sr. and Sandra; brother, Sam Vail; nieces, nephews; extended family and friends. He was preceded in passing by an infant brother, William Vail.

Ken is Zen
The so called listeners of rock have
Nothing on Ken…
This guy lived the life…
Kept a library in his head…
The man didn’t need no record collection,
He was a record collection!…
Like his brother said he lived the life
That he wanted to live…
The ultimate Anti-hero, with a Cd store in his
Bedroom and only a broken couch to lay his head…
He held a torch for the music that made him
Happy, like some diehard Hispanic Catholics
Keep altars for Mother Mary…
Music was his holiest of holies!…
He dug the simple things, like hanging out,
Finding music, laughing at oddball record covers,
And japping at awkward comedies that
Parodied the ineptitudes of real life
Like Curb Your Enthusiasm…
He made me smile, and turned me on
To hundreds of things with his passion,
Never pausing to
Give things away for free
If it meant cluing someone in who
Didn’t share his experience…
Sometimes he’d get mad at the lack of
Luster people seemed to have for music,
And the mindless in-fighting that so called
Music fans were always having on the Internet,
But never for too long…
He mostly just wanted to laugh,
Make others smile when he was around…
To help other people to just relax and have fun…
That’s all he wanted…was to have Fun!…
I’ll bet he’s still hoping that we work it out down
Here, and finally find his recipe
For having a blast and hanging loose…
Rock’Roll forever Ken!!!

By Bunny Villaire